Big Bucks for Fantastic Four #1
This is great news!
A gorgeous (check the pic) CGC graded 9.4 with White Pages copy of Fantastic Four #1 has been sold by Metropolis Comics for $300,000.00.
I think Fantastic Four #1 is the most important Marvel ever published and I’ll argue that it’s the second most important superhero book ever published (behind Action Comics #1).
FF #1 has always been a tough comic to find in very high grade. A quick look at the CGC census shows only 4 graded at 9.4 and 1 at 9.6. The 9.6 copy traded in 2008 for a cash/trade deal valued at $450,000.00 but I’m sure it would threaten the million mark if it went to auction today. These 5 comics represent a tiny three quarters of one percent (0.76%) of the 657 Universal graded CGC copies on the census.
Legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby published FF #1 in November 1961. It’s interesting to note the 10 cent cover price. Only 3 Marvel hero comics have a 10 cent cover, FF #1, FF #2 and Tales to Astonish #27 (1st Ant-Man).
The high end vintage comic market is absolutely scorching hot right now!
Walter Durajlija is an Overstreet Advisor and Shuster Award winner. He owns Big B Comics in Hamilton Ontario.
The FF#1 9.6 in question resides with Doug Schmell… Looking at his “vault”… I wonder how guys like this bank roll such a collection… pretty incredible. Even Bob Storm has millions of dollars worth of books that it makes me wonder why these guys don’t kick back a retire.
Walter, who would you say is the king of geeks? Doug Schmell would surely be a contender but I’m thinking Vincent Zurzolo from Metropolis/ComicConnet…
Vince once bought a CGC 8.0 Sgt. Fury #1 off me at a Philly convention. He’s a good businessman and doesn’t come across very geeky. This of course still doesn’t stop me from awarding him King of the Vintage Comic Geeks! Imagine, this guy gets to play with high grade Marvel Keys, Detective #27s and Action #1s all day. Then at night he gets to show them to fellow geeks like Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicholas Cage etc. Good livin!
I use the term “geek” affectionately of course… knowing that I am one as well. Curious, why set up ICE as a separate site from Big B? Now you’ve got 2 sites to promote as opposed to one. What does B stand for? Box, boy, books… boss?